Here at the New York auto show every year is the presentation of the hotly awaited World Car awards. This is the perfect venue, what with the United Nations being here in Manhattan and all, and the pre-show New York bagels are a very hot item for international journalists.

Seriously, from the looks of it all, the WCotYs are gaining credibility in big ways. Ford sent over a European CDTi Mondeo sedan, BMW shipped a 118d four-door hatch, Mazda found the only Mazda2/Demio currently in North America, and every other candidate for the four World awards was present as well.

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First to be awarded was the World Green Car award for 2008 and this was of high interest since all three finalists were latest generation direct-injection diesels, none of the mild hybrid SUVs or test fleet fuel cell marketing projects making it past the scrutiny of the 47 jurors in the first round of voting. From the BMW 118d with Efficient Dynamics, Smart ForTwo cdi, and VW Passat 1.9 TDI Bluemotion, the BMW got the nod.

Then came the World Design award, the finalists for which are every year selected by a panel of four big shot design experts. Winning the award in a landslide was the Audi R8, followed by the Mazda2/Demio and Volvo C30 two-door hatch. Third to be handed out was the all-important Mobil 1 World Performance Car award for 2008, which saw the Audi R8 eke out another victory over its sibling Audi S5 and the BMW M3.

Last but most came the big drumroll for the overall World Car award for this year. The three selections were from three distinctly separate market vantage points: Mazda2/Demio, Ford Mondeo, and Mercedes C-class. In a perceived slight upset over the Ford Mondeo, the little Mazda2/Demio snatched the key award.

It is to be remembered that the truly global nature of the World Car awards necessitates certain criteria that exclude almost all American automobiles produced, as these latter are sold almost exclusively on only the North American continent. This is not only a stopper for American cars, but several overseas all-stars also are rendered ineligible thereby http://news.windingroad.com